A “Digital Infrastructure Pact” is intended to advance the expansion of mobile communications and broadband in Bavaria. Representatives of the state government, the municipal umbrella organizations and the telecommunications companies signed a corresponding agreement on Wednesday in Munich. This is an “important step,” said Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU). The digital transformation goes “in seven league boots”.
Put simply, the “Pact” contains a ten-point program. Some were already known; the 6G initiative, intended to promote new mobile communications standards, was announced in 2020 at the “High-Tech Agenda”. What is new, on the other hand, is that the approval procedures and building regulations for the construction of new mobile phone masts are to be simplified. For example, installations up to a height of 15 meters in built-up areas could in future not require a permit. The draft law required for this is to be introduced in the state parliament before the end of the year. According to network operators, it often takes two or three years before a new mast is in place, sometimes even four.
However, the “pact” excludes another major problem in the expansion of mobile communications: finding suitable locations for new masts. This is still primarily the responsibility of the mayors – but there is great resistance to new systems in many places. This “conflict of goals” will not be finally resolved in a democracy, said Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (FW). “Intuition” is still required here. Digital Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) pointed out that the “pact” does not represent an instruction from the state government, but requires the participation of everyone.
According to the numbers listed on Wednesday, access to digital infrastructure has improved. According to this, more than 17,000 mobile radio transmitters have been modernized or newly built in the past two years. And by mid-2021, a good 64 percent of all Bavarian households will have a gigabit-capable connection to the Internet. However, the majority of these connections are not high-performance fiber optic cables, but souped-up copper cables. Only 18 percent of households had fiber optics into the building, as can be read in a study by the Bavarian Business Association. Accordingly, the infrastructure can be expanded, especially in rural areas: just 27 percent of households there can access gigabit speeds. There is also room for improvement in a European comparison. Statistics for Spain and Sweden show fiber optics each accounting for around 78 percent of all broadband connections.
Another goal of the state government is to make around three million additional households gigabit capable by 2025. From the point of view of Benjamin Adjei, spokesman for digitization of the state parliament Greens, the measures taken so far are not sufficient. Since households would have to pay for their own connection to the fiber optic network, “fiber optic vouchers” would be needed to bring the network into the building. Overall, the “pact” includes “a lot should, nothing is,” said Adjei to the SZ.